One of the most recurring types of attraction that you can see on a river cruise is the castle. Castles are widespread across Europe, including in the UK, and they are often some of the most impressive structures standing today. Castles have existed for many hundreds of years, and they are still hugely fascinating insights into the history of the world and the architectural influences and methods of the relevant eras.
The word ‘castle’, along with its equivalent in other languages (chateau, castillo etc.) derives from the Latin word castellum, which simply means fortified place. Which of course makes sense, since the primary function of a castle is to act as a defence fortification. They weren’t really built for communities, but to protect the homes of nobility such as lords, or to protect an area on behalf of the monarch rather than the residents.
And castles have always been multifunctional. Pretty much every castle ever built has not simply been a military structure, or a home, but it’s incorporated both alongside other features such as a place of worship, community facilities and more.
And as castles have progressed over time, common features of the structures themselves began to form. Often a motte was used, an artificial mound on which the keep was placed to help with defence.
Of course the moat is one of the most famous, a ditch surrounding the castle that was either left dry or filled with water – either way, it restricted people to crossing via a bridge and it stopped siege towers reaching the walls. And the bailey is another well-known feature, an enclosed space as part of the castle that included other parts of the household of the lord, or buildings such as barracks and workshops.
Travelling on a river cruise gives you access to some of the world’s finest examples of castles from different ages throughout history. Anyone with an interest in castles (and surely that’s everyone?) would love a river cruise.
By Ian Lewis
Google